Marine steering apparatus



Dec. 25, 1945. c SCHQEN ET AL 2,391,645

MARINE S TEERING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 27, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors 6- [IP50 C. 5cH0E/v DEW/ 71 E EVA/vs FEED 6.. 7. CHOEN,

Dec. 25, 1945. F. c. SCHOEN ET AL 2,391,645

MARINE STEERING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 27, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors FEED C. 5cHoE/v DE h/lTT KEV/4N5 0 v fiesa C. 7. 6cHoE/v,

B, QM D I (ma WWO, EU:

1945. F. c. SCHOEN ET AL MARINE STEERING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 27, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 11 c J l Inventors FRED C. .ScHa E/V DE WITT f." Eva/vs (Lg 0 9. d I FRED C. 72 SCHOEN,

WW 19m Patented Dec. 25, 1945 =MARINESTEERING-APPARATUS Fred C; Schoen,"Roselle Park, N. 21., De'Witt'F. Evans,'Queens Village, N.'-Y., and Fred C. T. Schoen, Elizabeth, N. J.

Application November 27, 1944, SerialNo. 565,278

' Claims.

This inventionrelates to-marine-steering pparatus in which the winding drum for the tiller ropes is driven by a reversible rotary motor which is provided with a controller having a rotatable operatingshaft.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a marine steering apparatus of the above kind wherein the controller of themotor is operatively connected with the steering orpilot wheel so that the windin drum and the rudder will beactuated in a direction corresponding to the direction in which the steerin wheel "is turned, and wherein means driven by the-winding drumis provided to automatically operate the controller so as to throw'the motor out of operation and stop rotation of the'winding drum when the latter has rotatedto adjust the ruddera distance corresponding torthe degree Of turning movement imparted to the steering orpilotwheel.

Another object of the presentinvention vis to provide a marine steeringapparatus of the above character which permits location of the winding drum and its driving motor at'a suitable point remote from :the steering or pilot wheel, and wherein simple andefficient means is provided to limit the degree of turning movement which may be imparted to the steering or pilot wheel to thereby prevent operation of the motor to rotate the drum beyond a point dangerous tothe rudder.

Still another object of the-invention is to provide, in a marine steering apparatus, acompact, simple and eflicient unit controllable by the pilot wheel to effect driving of the-winding drum for the tiller ropes in .the .proper direction and to a proper extent toeffect automatic adjustment of the rudder in accordancewith the degree of movement imparted tothesteerin or pilot wheel.

The present invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter morefu-lly described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a. rearelevational view of the unit forming the principal .part of a marine steering apparatus constructed in'accordance-with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view thereof looking toward the right of Figurel.

Figure 3 is a top plan 'viewof the construction shown in Figure zytogether with an operative connection between'the unit anda steering .or

pilot wheel.

' other purposes.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section taken'on line 4--.4= of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectiontaken .on line 5-5 ofFigure 2.

Referringindetailito the drawings, the present steering apparatus ,embodiesa unit that in- .cludes asuitable fiat base 5 having Spaced standards 6- mounted thereon at opposite sides thcreof, said standards being provided at their uppeiyends Withtransversely aligned bearings 1 in whichare journaled theends of a shaft .Bhaving a winding drum 9 secured thereon between the uprights .6. securedon the shaft 8 atoneend of: drum 9 is a worm gear l0, and arranged.beneathandmesh- .ing with" the worm gearlll isa worm ll. Rigidly mounted on the base 5 at .the' front of the latter is. a conventional reversible rotary motor 12 having its power shaft directly {connected wi h the worm Il' for-driving the latter. The motor I 2 may be of any suitable. kind that, has a controller provided with a rotatable operating shaft [3. .By way of-example, we have illustrated a compressed air motor of, a well known kind thathas been :extensivelyused for the operation of drillsand The controller of thistype of motor isbuilt in the motorcasingand consists of v a control valve which maybe set to v throw-the 'motor out of operation when-the shaft. [Sis in .one position, to cause operation of the motor in one direction when the shaft. 13- is turned in one direction, andto vcause operation ofthe motor in theopposite direction when said shaft l3 isturned ,in an opposite direction. As thecharacter and operation of this type ,of motor is well known in the art-and forms nospecific part of the, present invention, detailed illustration and description thereof is deemed unnecessary herein. Also,,it is quite evidentthat an electric or other motor may be used if provided with a rotatable controller Jofdrum-B throughthegearing l0,,ll,,,so as to cause turning of .therudder in the proper direction, depending upon the direction of. operation of the. motor.

Mounted on the ,base 5 adjacent one side of the latter and below the drum 9 are apair .of spaced brackets l6 and H. A shaftis providedincluding I a reduced smooth-end portion l8 ,slidablyand rotatablyfitted in a bearing Heat the .top. of

bracket l1. uThe other enlarger end portionlof this shaft is screw-threaded, as at 26, and extends freely through the bearing 2| at the top of bracket I5. Threaded on the end portion 26 of said shaft at the outer side of bracket I6 is a bevel gear 22 having a hub journaled in the bearing 2|. A stop collar 23 is secured on the shaft portion at the outer side of bevel ear 22. Journaled on the base 5 at the inner side of upright or standard 6, which is nearest the bevel gear 22, is a horizontal longitudinally disposed rock shaft 24 whose rear end carries an arm or lever 25 provided with a pivoted sleeve 26 fittedon the smooth shaft portion I8 against the adjacent inner end of the larger shaft portion 20. A pinion 21 is keyed on the shaft portion I8 at the inner side of collar 26 and in spaced relation to bracket I1. This pinion 21 meshes with a spur gear 28 secured on the shaft 8 at the end of drum 9 opposite that at which worm gear I0 is located. The other end of rock shaft 24 carries a spur gear 29 that meshes with a spur pinion 30 secured on a countershaft 3I journaled in bearing brackets 32 carried by the front end of base 5. Also secured on countershaft 3I is a bevel gear 33 that meshes with a bevel pinion 34 keyed on the controller shaft I3. Mounted on the outer side of the upright or standard 6 adjacent the bracket I6 is a shaft hanger or bracket 35 having vertically spaced bearings 36 in which the ends of a vertical feed screw 31 are journaled. Pinned on feed screw 31 directly under the upper bearing 36 is a collar 38, and arranged on said screw 31 directly beneath the collar 38 is a stationary nut 39. The adjacent faces of collar 38 and nut 39 are provided with interfitting ratchet teeth, as at 46, in Figure 2. The bottom face of nut 39 is provided with shouldered lugs M. A collar 38a and a nut 39a, similar to the collar 38 and nut 39, respectively, are provided on the feed screw 31 directly above the lower bearing 36. The shouldered lugs 4Ia of nut 39a face in a direction opposite to that of the lugs M of nut 39. By turning nuts 39 and 38a, slight adjustment of the same toward or from each other and relative to the collars 38 and 3811 may be had. Threaded on the feed screw 31 between the nuts 39 and 39a is a traveling nut 42 having oppositely facing shouldered lugs 43 and 43a on the opposite faces thereof. Traveling nut 43 engages the bracket 35 so as to be restrained against turning by the latter. The upper end of feed screw 31 is extended above the upper bearing 36 where it is provided with a keyway 44 to facilitate keying of a bevel gear thereon, as indicated at 45. Bevel gear 45 may be operatively connected with the steering or pilot wheel 46 through the medium of shafting 41 and bevel gears 48, or the like, thereby permitting actuation of feed screw 31 by turning the steering or pilot wheel 46, even though the latter is located at a point remote from the unit of which the feed screw 31 forms a part.

In operation, rotation of steering or pilot wheel 46 is transmitted to feed screw 31, thereby causing movement of nut 42 along feed screw 31 in a direction depending upon the direction in which the steering or pilot wheel 46 is turned. Obviously, the traveling nut 42 will ultimately contact either nut 39 or nut 39a so as tolimit turning of the steering or pilot wheel 46 in either direction, for a purpose which will presently become apparent. Rotation of feed screw 31 is transmitted to gear 22 by the gear 49 secured on the lower end of feed screw 31 and meshing with said gear A gear 22 is rotated, shaft I8, 20 is moved longitudinally in one direction or the other, depending upon the direction in which gear 22 is turned. This is had because the shaft p01" tion 28 has threaded engagement in gear 22 and the gear 22 is restrained against movement in a direction parallel With the axis of shaft I8, 28 or laterally toward or away from the adjacent bracket I6. Longitudinal movement of shaft I8, 26 and the pinion 21 keyed thereon causes actuation of collar 26 so as to swing arm 25 and rock the shaft 24. When shaft 24 is rocked, gear 29 is turned so as to rotate controller shaft I3 through the medium of gears 30, 33 and 34. Longitudinal movement of shaft I8, 20 in one direction causes actuation of rock shaft 24 so that controller shaft I3 is rotated to place the motor I2 in operation for driving drum in one direction. Longitudinal movement of shaft I8, 29 in the opposite direction causes rocking movement of shaft 24 in the opposite direction so as to turn controller shaft I3 in an opposite direction and cause motor I2 to drive the drum 9 in areverse direction. This reverse drive of drum 9, of course, effects shifting of the rudder to one side or the other. As soon as the motor I2 is placed in operation, rotation of drum 9 is transmitted to shaft I8, 20 by gear 28 and pinion 21 in a direction opposite to that in which said shaft I8, 29 was just turned by actuation of steering or pilot wheel 46. This reverse rotation of shaft I8, 26 through the gearing with shaft 8 immediately causes actuation of rock shaft 24 so as to turn the controller shaft I3 back to a point where motor I2 is thrown out of operation. Thus, automatic means is provided, which is driven from the drum shaft for automatically throwing the motor I2 out of operation as soon as it has driven the drum 9 to a proper extent corresponding to the degree of movement which is immediately previously imparted to steering or pilot wheel. 46. The same operation is had regardless of which direction motor I2 is caused to drive the drum 9, so that the adjustment of the rudder is proportional to the degree of movement imparted to the Wheel 46. It will be apparent that the engagement of traveling nut 42 with either nut 39 or nut 39a limits the extent to which the wheel 46 may be turned and thereby prevents operation of motor I2 to rotate the drum 9 beyond a point dangerous to the rudder. The entire operation of the unit is automatic and under the sole control of steering or pilot wheel 46. The engagement of lugs M with lugs 43 or the engagement of lugs Me with lugs 43a insure prompt and positive resistance to further turning of feed screw 31 after the steering or pilot wheel 46 has been rotated to its maximum permissible degree.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the advantages, of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. It will be apparent that the invention is susceptible to such modifications and changes in the details of construction illustrated and described as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. A comparatively simple, compact and durable unit is provided which operates efficiently for the intended purpose.

What we claim as new is:

1. In a. marine steering apparatus, the combination of a tiller rope drum, a reversible rotary motor operatively connected to said drum for drivin the latter, said motor having a rotatable controller operating shaft adapt'ed'to be turned in opposite directions to stop or control the direction of operation of the motor, a pilot wheel, means operatively connecting said pilot wheel with the controller operating shaft so as to rotate the latter in a direction corresponding to the direction of operation of the pilot wheel, and further means operatively connected to said first-named means and driven by the drum for turning the controller operating shaft in a direction reverse to that in which it has just previously been turned by actuation of the pilot wheel, whereby to automatically stop the motor and the drum after the latter has been operated to adjust the rudder to a degree corresponding to the degree of movement imparted to the pilot wheel.

2. In a marine steering apparatus, the combination of a tiller rope drum, a reversible rotary motor operatively connected to said drum for driving the latter, said motor having a rotatable controller operating shaft adapted to be turned in opposite directions to stop or control the direction of operation of the motor, a pilot wheel, means operatively connecting said pilot wheel with the controller operating shaft so as to rotate the latter in a direction corresponding to the direction of operation of the pilot wheel, and further means operatively connected to said first-named means and driven by the drum for turning the controller operating shaft in a direction reverse to that in which it has just previously been turned by actuation of the pilot wheel, whereby to automatically stop the motor and the drum after the latter has been operated to adjust the rudder to a, degree corresponding to the degree of movement imparted to the pilot wheel, and means operatively associated with said first-named means to limit the turning of the pilot wheel in either direction so as to prevent operation of the motor to rotate the drum beyond a point dangerous to the rudder.

3. In a marine steering apparatus, the combination of a tiller rope drum, a reversible rotary motor operatively connected to said drum for driving the latter, said motor having a rotatable controller operating shaft adaped to be turned in opposite directions to stop or control the direction of operation of the motor, a pilot wheel, means operatively connecting said pilot wheel with the controller operating shaft so as to rotate the latter in a direction corresponding to the direction of operation of the pilot wheel, and further means operatively connected to said first-named means and driven by the drum for turning the controller operating shaft in a direction reverse to that in which it has just previously been turned by actuation of the pilot wheel, whereby to automatically stop the motor and the drum after the latter has been operated to adjust the rudder to a degree corresponding to the degree of movement imparted to the pilot wheel, and means operatively associated with said first-named means to limit the turning of the pilot wheel in either direction so as to prevent operation of the motor to rotate the drum beyond a point dangerous to the rudder, said last-named means including a feed screw operatively connected to the pilot wheel, a traveling nut on said feed screw, means to restrain said traveling, nut against rotation while permitting movement thereof longitudinally of the feed screw, and stop members carried by the feed screw at opposite sides of the traveling nut for engagement by the latter.

4. In a marine steering apparatus, a base, a tiller rope drum rotatably mounted on the base, a reversible rotary motor operatively connected to the drum for driving the latter, said motor being mounted on the base and provided with a rotatable controller operating shaft, a rock shaft mounted on the base and operatively geared to the controller operating shaft, a further shaft rotatably mounted and longitudinally movable on the base, means operatively connecting the last-named shaft with said rock shaft whereby rocking of the latter is caused by longitudinal movement of said last-named shaft, means to rotate said last-named shaft and to effect longitudinal movement thereof when rotated, and a driving connection between the drum and said last-named shaft for causing rotation of the latter in a reverse direction to that in which it has just been previously turned through the actuation of said last-named means.

5. In a marine steering apparatus, a rotatable feed screw, a pilot wheel, means operatively connecting the pilot wheel to said feed screw, a traveling nut on said feed screw, stop members for the feed nut carried by the feed screw at opposite sides of said traveling nut, a tiller rope drum, a reversible rotary motor operatively connected with the drum for driving the latter, said motor having a rotatable controller operating shaft, means operatively connecting the feed screw with said controller operating shaft, said last-named means including a rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft and means to longitudinally move said shaft when the latter is rotated, and means operatively connecting said rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft with the drum for turning the controller operating shaft in a direction reverse to that in which it has just previously been turned by the actuation of said feed screw, whereby to automatically throw the motor and drum out of operation after the drum has been driven sufficiently to adjust the rudder in correspondence with the degree of movement imparted to the pilot wheel, said traveling nut and said stop members coacting to prevent operation of the motor to rotate the drum beyond a point dangerous to the rudder.

FRED C. SCHOEN. DE WIT'I' F. EVANS. FRED C. T. SCHOEN. 

